1 Year Routine operational records
- Correspondence with customers and vendors
- Purchase orders (other than purchasing dept. copy)
- Requisitions
- Stockroom withdrawal forms
- Duplicate deposit slips
- Receiving sheets
- Stenographer's notebooks
3 Years HR and general documents
- Employee personnel records (after termination)
- Expired insurance policies
- Internal audit reports
- Petty cash vouchers
- Savings bond registration records of employees
- Employment applications
- General correspondence
- Internal reports
- Physical inventory tags
- Time cards for hourly employees
6 Years Financial and tax records
- Accident reports and claims
- Accounts receivable ledgers and schedules
- Cancelled checks
- Employment tax records
- Expired contracts and leases
- Inventories of products, materials, supplies
- Notes receivable ledgers and schedules
- Plant cost ledgers
- Sales records
- Time books
- Vouchers for payments to vendors and employees
- Accounts payable ledgers and schedules
- Bank statements and reconciliations
- Cancelled stock and bond certificates
- Expense analysis and distribution schedules
- Expired option records
- Invoices to customers
- Payroll records and summaries (incl. pensioners)
- Purchasing dept. copies of purchase orders
- Subsidiary ledgers
- Travel and entertainment records
- Voucher register and schedules
Forever Core corporate documents
- Audit reports from CPAs / accountants
- Cash books and charts of accounts
- Corporate documents (incorporation, charter, by-laws)
- Deeds
- Financial statements (year end)
- Insurance records, accident reports, claims, policies
- IRS revenue agents' reports
- Legal records, correspondence and important matters
- Mortgages and bills of sale
- Property records
- Tax returns and worksheets
- Cancelled checks for important payments (esp. tax)
- Contracts and leases currently in effect
- Documents substantiating fixed asset additions
- Depreciation schedules
- General and private ledgers, year-end trial balances
- Investment trade confirmations
- Journals
- Minute books of directors and stockholders
- Property appraisals by outside appraisers
- Retirement and pension records
- Trademark and patent registrations
Security: Always shred documents before disposal — never throw them in the trash. For backup, scan to digital and store online in another region for disaster protection.
1 Year Monthly statements
- Bank statements
- Cancelled checks
- Paycheck stubs (reconcile with W-2)
- Monthly/quarterly mutual fund and retirement contribution statements (reconcile with year-end)
3 Years Bills and policies
- Credit card statements
- Utility records
- Medical bills (in case of insurance disputes)
- Expired insurance policies
6 Years Tax-related documents
- Supporting documents for tax returns
- Medical bills (if tax-related)
- Sales receipts
- Other tax-related bills
- Accident reports and claims
- Property records / improvement receipts
- Wage garnishments
Forever Critical personal documents
- CPA audit reports
- Important correspondence
- Income tax payment checks
- Retirement and pension records
- Legal records
- Income tax returns
- Investment trade confirmations
Special Special circumstances — keep until condition met
- CPA audit reports
- Important correspondence
- Income tax payment checks
- Retirement and pension records
- Legal records
- Income tax returns
- Investment trade confirmations
Security: Always shred documents before disposal — never throw them in the trash. For backup, scan to digital and store online in another region for disaster protection.